but a top obama aide yesterday told chuck todd that if the republicans -- if these republicans were in power when abraham lincoln were there, there would still be slavery. does that help the process move along? or does it hurt? i don't really know -- >> reading between the lines. >> i know one direction, i know boy bands. >> reading between the lines, that's probably a bad omen. we do have four weeks, though. >> that's bad. >> absolutely. we have, i believe, we have 27 negotiating days. until the year end. >> there is a rule in life. >> what is that rule? >> i think that slavery analogies and hitler jokes never work out well. >> you don't do that. >> never end well. >> usually they have a bad, you know -- >> but if you're a reporter covering this story now, you don't need to sort of badger people at the white house or on the hill for negative stuff on the other side. they're reaching out to blast, and, again, maybe it'll all settle out in the end, but -- >> who's they? >> people at the white house and republicans on the hill. they're looking for opportunities to blast the other side. >